Method of plating wooden articles



l Jan. 2, 1923.- 1,440,678

F HACHMANN A ramadan. 2, 1923.

FREDERICK HACHMA-NN, OF

. y' 1,440,678 UNITED STATE-s vParlezNf-T `ori-"Iers,-y

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR ONE-FOURTH TO HENRY W. GELLER, ONE-EIGHIH T0 HARRY A. PRUDOT, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO LAURENCE J. HORAN, ALL 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

METHOD 0F PLATING WOODEN ARTICLES.

Application filed December 31, 1920. Serial No. 434,348.

T0 all whom t lmay concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HACH- MANN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of St. Louis, State'of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Plating Wooden Articles, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in the method of plating wooden articles and has for its primary object the coating of wooden articles such as ladies French heels, and the like, with a Vmetallic substance s o that the finished article will appear to be made out of proof.

In thedrawings: v 1

Fig. l is a vertical sectional 'view of-1a `heel. Fig. 2 is a similarview after the same has gone through the first step of my method.

metal and will also .be water- Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the`l second step.

Fig. 4 is a similar view' illustrating the finished article.

In carrying out my method I make use of a wooden article such as a heel, or the like,

which is designated by the numeral 5, that' portion of the heel which is to be plated is covered with 'a layer 6. This layer is a conductor of electricity and is preferably formedof a. mixture of lacquer, that is, varnish formed from shellacidissolved in alco-- hol, powdered graplte and powdered bronze This mixture may be Y either sprayed or painted on the article, or on that portion which is desired to be plated or the article may be dipped therein. After thecoating 6 has been applied, 'the article is bakedso as to completely dry the coating, after which the article is inserted in au electroplating bath and a layer 7 'of copper`- is deposited on the lcoating 6. After this layer has been deposited the article is inserted in the finishing bath and the final layer 8 deposited. This layer may be any metal which can be" deposited by the electroplating method. After this final or {inishing deposit has been given the article it is then polished and the platedarticle has the appearance of being formed `entirely of metal without having the objectionable weight which accompanies metal.

My method is extremely useful in preparing French heels as there are a number of ,heels on the market at` the present time wooden article; the article can beentirely '.'covered with plating, or only portions there-y of be covered, the extent of the coating 6 limiting the extent of the surface to be plated.

Themixture I use for coating the wooden article preparatory to plating it consists of one part of lacquer, one part powdered graphite and one .part'powdered bronze,

these three are mixed together in equal quantities and then applied to the article to be plated.

The `lacquer'which I preferably employ is a varnish composed of shellac dissolved in alcohol.

. Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

The methodl of electroplating woodn ar- A ticles, whichc onsistsin covering 'the surfl face of thevarticle to be'plated With a.rela

tively thin layer of a .mixture of lacquer, a

varnish composed of shellac dissolved in aif cohol, -powdered graphite and powdered bronze of equal proportions, baking the article with said layer applied thereto until the layer is completely dried, electrodepositing on the hard'coat1ng,-a layerof copper',

electrodepositing on' the. ayer of copper, a.

v'finishing coating, and lastly, polishing said finishing coating:`

' In testimony w name to this specification. y f

- FREDERi-CK HAo-HMANN.

11.0 0 hereof, I have signed my f 

